“I’m sure they have a first-aid kit where we bought the tram tickets,” Nick said in a soothing voice.
Adrienne trailed after them, fighting her irritation. So what if that beautiful woman in ridiculous shoes was making goo-goo eyes at Nick? Someday he would marry a lovely woman—because he was so wonderful, he deserved nothing less—and he and his wife would make gorgeous babies. And he, because he was so good, would adore his wife and his children. He would never be tempted by a Therese. He wouldn’t flirt with the girls in the office or the interns.
Adrienne’s pace slowed. Even though Nick and the stiletto-she-wolf weren’t galloping up the hill by any means, Adrienne lagged behind as fatigue caught up with her. What am I doing here? she wondered. What am I doing with my life?
She reminded herself that she was supposed to be helping Nick shoot YouTube videos. Looking around, she spotted a trail that led into the jungle. “Huh, Nick? I’m going to see if this is a good place for your video.”
He shot her a glance. “Okay, but don’t wander too far off the trail. I’ll pick up my guitar at the station and be right back.”
She nodded, wondering why it hurt so much to have Nick leave her behind, especially since it had been her idea. On a small knoll, she spotted a boulder protruding from the ground. She sat. Her clothes and hair, still damp, clung to her. The rock was hard. She wondered how she had come to this place in her life. What had made Seb look outside their marriage? Had she spent too much time at the office? Would it have been different if they’d had children?
Thank goodness they’d never been blessed…but why hadn’t they even tried? Would a child have melded them together? Or would she now be a single mother? Or would she have been a single mother from the very beginning, with or without a divorce? She suspected the latter. And if her suspicions were true—as Seb had proved them to be with a hundred percent accuracy so far—why was she even trying to hold onto something that he had let go of a long time ago?
I made a vow before God.
God will understand, Aubrey and both of her parents had argued. But none of them believed in God. Not really. Not like she did. Not like Seb. A small sob broke from her lips and she brushed away a tear. Giving up Seb was like giving up her faith, because he was the one who had introduced her to religion.
“Adrienne?” Nick called out.
She stood and dried her eyes. “Over here.”
Nick pushed through the ferns and jungle leaves. “This is a perfect spot!”
“Really?” She glanced around. The tree’s canopy was so thick only snatches of sunlight filtered through. “It’s a smidge gloomy.” Or were those just her thoughts? “Do you think it would be better if we could get the roar of the falls in the background?”
“We could try it here, then find another place if you want.” He studied her and she flinched away from his gaze. “You okay?” he asked. He swore softly. “I’m being selfish, aren’t I? Dragging you around, making you shoot videos of me.”
“No, not at all!” She put her hand on his arm. “It’s not that. I love that we’re doing this.”
He stepped closer. “Are you sure? Because we don’t have to do this.” He waved his arm. “We can go home, or at least you can. I need to stay in Uruguay. I promised Tio Jose I would help him train Ximena.”
“How long will that take?” Why had she assumed Nick would go home when she did?
He shrugged. “I’m not in any hurry to get back. The Bar is doing fine without me.”
But would she? To hide her confusion, she fumbled in her bag for her phone. “So…are you ready to sing?”
Nick glanced over his shoulder toward the trail. “Just a sec. Let me check.” He brushed through the foliage and returned a few minutes later. “There’s people out there. Let’s give them a few minutes to disperse. Hey, you never finished your story.”
“My story?” she echoed blankly.
“Yeah, the girl who went over the falls. I assume there was a happy ending.”
Adrienne sucked in a deep breath and shrugged. “Sort of. The girl was able to warn her village, but the snake was enraged to find the people had fled to higher country. It searched for them, but the god of thunder rose from the crashing water and struck the beast dead with a single lightning bolt. The snake’s body blocked the river’s flow, and water began rushing directly into the god of thunder’s home behind the falls. The god evacuated his family, including the girl, and they created a home in the sky. Now the girl can watch her people every day, but she can never again visit.”
“Bittersweet,” Nick said.
“Yeah,” Adrienne agreed, thinking of parallels to her own marriage. She could love again, create a new home, but she could never go back to the person she’d been before she had loved—and lost—Seb.
“Are you ready?”
The question startled her, then she realized he was talking about his video. “Sure,” she said, matching his grin. “Let’s do it.”
#
Patagonia has a windswept beauty. Even in the height of summer, the clear air held the promise of frosty nights and crisp days. Nick chose the Seno Otway colony because it didn’t require a boat ride but it was a nearly fifty-kilometer drive from the Punta Arenas airport. He didn’t mind, though. Not as long as he had Adrienne beside him.
They passed a few cars, herds of alpacas, and flocks of flamingos. The birds’ startling pink was almost as surprising as the crystal blue sky.
